Abstract
BackgroundThe short- and medium-term effects of conflict on population health are reasonably well documented. Less considered are its consequences across generations and potential harms to the health of children yet to be born.DiscussionLooking first at the nature and effects of exposures during conflict, and then at the potential routes through which harm may propagate within families, we consider the intergenerational effects of four features of conflict: violence, challenges to mental health, infection and malnutrition. Conflict-driven harms are transmitted through a complex permissive environment that includes biological, cultural and economic factors, and feedback loops between sources of harm and weaknesses in individual and societal resilience to them. We discuss the multiplicative effects of ongoing conflict when hostilities are prolonged.SummaryWe summarize many instances in which the effects of war can propagate across generations. We hope that the evidence laid out in the article will stimulate research and – more importantly – contribute to the discussion of the costs of war; particularly in the longer-term in post-conflict situations in which interventions need to be sustained and adapted over many years.
Highlights
The short- and medium-term effects of conflict on population health are reasonably well documented
We hope that the evidence laid out in the article will stimulate research and – more importantly – contribute to the discussion of the costs of war; in the longer-term in post-conflict situations in which interventions need to be sustained and adapted over many years
We summarize the evidence of how four features of conflict - violence, challenges to mental health, infections and malnutrition - may harm more than one generation, responding to emerging ideas about the epigenetic transmission of physiology [18,19]
Summary
We have given examples of how conflict can have longlasting intergenerational effects, working through parental. It is not within the scope of this paper to adequately review the interventions that may be of benefit in preventing the future adverse effects of war, but we have tried to summarize the main categories in Box 2 Many of these are the same as those required for the current population, but the imperative to protect certain groups, such as pregnant women, is reinforced. Combining disciplines and research to illustrate these links in the area of child health can be compelling, as there is a general consensus that children should be protected during war and that future generations are innocent This makes a growing body of evidence that supports the link between conflict and future health problems for children a strong advocacy tool for conflict prevention.
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